Lunch ‘n’ learn: soup

Winter is here, so for our first December workshop, there’s just one thing to cook — a bowl of cosy, comforting soup. Whether humble or hearty, velvety smooth or rustic chunky, there’s a soup for every soul; we’ll learn a general procedure which you can use to make a variety of different creations depending on the season, your mood, the occasion, and taste preferences… We’ll then apply this procedure in class to put together a delicious pot of goodness for our lunch. The recipe for the red lentil and pumpkin soup we cooked is below.

Soup procedure

I notice that by following this general procedure and varying the vegetables, grains, legumes, broth and spices, you can get a wide range of simple, delicious soups on the table any day of the year.

The fat. Whether a hearty winter stew or a light summer gazpacho, every soup needs a little boost of flavour and nutrition from some healthy fats. I add as much as I need to cover the bottom of the pan so that I can sauté the flavour base ingredients, and that’s usually enough. If I’m cold or feeling festive, I might stir in a few glugs of olive oil towards the end of cooking for an splash of decadence. This is almost mandatory when making Ribollita; in our house we say the soup requires “Tuscan” amounts of olive oil 🙂 For soups, I usually stick to these basic options:

Olive oil, not cold-pressed

Raps oil, not cold-pressed

Coconut oil: unrefined oil brings its unique flavour to the dish which works with Asian-style soups. Refined coconut oil has been processed to remove its scent and a is a good option when the coconut flavour would otherwise dominate.

The flavour base. Fry together any combination of the following until soft and fragrant:

The liquid. Add any of the following, or a combination, and bring to a boil:

water

vegetable broth

The Foodoo Bouillon Paste from Mein Küchenchef is cool because it is made from food waste veggies and has no added fat, but as mentioned in class, it is quite salty.

I sometimes make my own veggie stock along these guidelines. I like the trick of saving vegetable trimmings like the tough, green part of leeks, parsley stalks, carrot trimmings, etc in a freezer bag and throwing them in with the stock. I even save onion peels sometimes, but last time I over-did and my stock was very bitter 🙂

The veggies. Any seasonal veggies. The size and shape you choose to cut the veggies will affect the final consistency of the soup and the cooking time. Play around! Here are some examples, randomly categorized 🙂

orange: pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots — these cook relatively fast, and are all good as blended soups or chunks

green / spring: broccoli, fresh peas, sugar snap peas, asparagus, leafy greens like kale, chard, spinach — these cook fast so add towards the end of the cooking process. I usually leave them whole, but you can also make a bright green soup by shortly cooking greens and then blending

summer: aubergine, paprika, zucchini, tomato — blended or chunky

The protein/carbs. Add any of the following in order of cooking time. Use a mix of different types of lentils/beans to make the consistency more interesting, e.g. lentils and chickpeas.

Soft lentils like red or yellow hulled lentils will fall apart when cooked and make a creamy, hearty purée

Green or black lentils hold their shape when cooked

Yellow or green split peas

Cooked chickpeas

Cooked beans

Millet

Wholegrain wheat/spelt/barley, soaked overnight

The texture. Leave the soup chunky or purée if desired. You can also choose to blend some of the veggies (e.g. a creamy root vegetable base) and then throw in some fast cooking veggies after (broccoli/cauliflower/leafy greens) after for just a couple of a minutes to add texture and colour. If you go the creamy route and want an extra boost, add any of the following while puréeing:

soy/oat/coconut cream

almond/peanut butter, tahini

cooked white beans

Final touches. Brighten up the final flavour by stirring in any the following after removing from heat:

lemon juice/splash of vinegar

chopped fresh herbs

miso paste

Toppings. Even a somewhat plain and boring soup can be brought to life by loading it with delicious toppings such as:

chopped fresh herbs for flavour and colour

roasted nuts/chickpeas for crunch

croutons for crunch

sprouts for crunch and nutrition boost

drizzle of oil or balsamic reduction for flavour and because it looks pretty

a few slices of avocado, when in season in Spain

Most important: use all your senses (smell, taste, hear, touch) and taste often!

If cooking has been an intimidating prospect, I think this soup procedure is a good place to start. It is forgiving and does not demand exact quantities and if you are mindful and taste along the way, it is rare to end up with something truly inedible at the end. At the worst it will be just “okay” and at best, a delicious, nourishing, home-cooked meal.

Soups I like

Here is a non-exhaustive list of soups I like that are generally simple, delicious and nourishing:

Instructions

Heat the coconut oil in a large soup pot, then add the onions and a pinch of salt and sauté until soft

Add the ginger, curry powder, tomato paste, raisins, and sesame seeds/coconut flakes and stir to make a wonderfully-smelling paste. Keep stirring and frying for a few minutes.

Add the coconut milk and a little water, then add the chopped veggies and red lentils. Add more water to cover well, add a little salt or bouillon, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the veggies are cooked and the lentils are falling apart

Stir in the greens and cook for just a minute until they are wilted

Remove from heat, add a splash of lemon juice, and adjust the seasoning

Top with your favourite toppings (great with fresh coriander, when it’s in season!) and serve on its own or with some cooked Basmati rice